I'm on day two of another migraine, accompanied by heart palpitations, panic attacks, and anxiety. I shouldn't have any reason to feel this way, and I even got plenty of sleep last night and the night before. I'm hoping I feel better tomorrow. Since Tony has tomorrow evening and the weekend off, that should be helpful.

I got some cute photos today.

Wisp, 4 months old

Wisp is four months old now. She's had a fun run in the house, but it's getting to the point that even cleaning her cage every day isn't keeping the odor down. We're anticipating all highs above freezing for the foreseeable future, so it looks like Miss Wisp will be moving outdoors soon. I had hoped to wait until it was remaining warmer before transitioning her, but Tony is putting his foot down on the smell, and I can't really argue with him. I don't like my kitchen to smell like a bunny barn either, and I don't have the time or energy to clean her cage twice a day.

Anyway, today when I cleaned her cage, I filled her bin with hay. She was pretty excited about it. She's so cute. I love the fluffy fur tufts between her ears.

Sage, 22 days old

Baby Sage is doing well today. She's moving around a little more, learning to get those little legs underneath her. She is one day past three weeks old today (22 days). She looks more and more like her dad every day. He's blue and white, and she has a similar pattern over her back and her ears. I love when she perks her ears up when she hears anyone speaking. She's such a sweetheart.

Her eyes have been a little goopy and stuck shut the last few days, but a warm moist paper towel gently run over her face clears her up right away. I'm not sure why Floki isn't cleaning her eyes up, but I will continue to clean her up as needed until the problem stops. She has such a cute little face, I love when she opens those little peepers and looks around.

Outside it's warming up. Just a little above freezing every day, but it's enough to get the snow melting. There's a mud puddle in the yard just outside the barn, and the ducks and goose have found it. They are thrilled to have open water (or a shallow mud puddle) again, and have spent all day playing in it. I had to herd them away from it to get them in for the night.

I finished #3's purse yesterday. She chose a nice bright blue and wanted more of a clutch shape (longer and shorter) but with a cross body strap. No clasp. Somehow when I attached the shoulder strap it didn't look right at the top where it comes off the purse, but I corrected it by adding a cute little bow to either side.

#3's purse - completed

I was several inches into the next bag project (for #2) when I made the decision to pull it apart and start over. It was just too big, and looked like it was going to be ungainly to carry around. So now I'm a little slow and behind, but it'll be better in the end.

Baby Sage is adorable, as always. Her little ears perk up whenever she hears my voice. A couple days ago I left a blanket in there that didn't fit in the laundry load. Sage loved it. She was able to move around a lot more without getting cold on the floor. I felt a little bad when I finally threw it in the wash yesterday morning. Sage stays either on the carpeted base of the cat tree, or under the fish tank over by the heat vent. Floki seems to be a good momma. As much as she leaves Sage alone, I think it only looks odd because she's alone. If it were a little pile of kittens napping together it would seem less strange, but little Sage, laying all alone, seems so sad. She's a sweet little soul, and she's got a beautiful personality. I'm looking forward to when she's a bit bigger and a little more interactive.

Sage (19 days old - photo taken 3/12/18)

Today, while at the feed store to get more rabbit food, we stopped by the garden section. I joke with my husband that this competitor of his store will get in seed potatoes before his store does. They didn't have any seed potatoes, but they did have a display of dormant fruit trees. They were only $17.99 each and decent sized. Much to my surprised delight, Tony said to go ahead and get some. "An orchard is an investment." he said. So today I brought home two Contender peach trees, two Kieffer pear trees, and one Methley plum tree. And so our journey into starting our orchard has begun! Now I need to figure out what to do with them until the snow melts. For now they're in the unheated entry way. They're dormant, pruned down and no leaves, but they were indoors when I bought them.

In researching my varieties a little more, I've found that plums and cherries are safe to plant in proximity to black walnut, but apple trees can't be near black walnut. The problem is that I've found different lists that put peaches and pears on both sides of this list. Can they be near black walnut or not? Since the area I had set aside for an orchard is bordered on one side by black walnut trees and boxed on on the other side by water, I'm realizing that I don't have nearly the orchard space I had originally thought I had. Once you measure out 50 feet from the black walnut tree line, you're already in the middle of the orchard space. While I'd love to have additional trees in that area to block certain views, it's not worth the financial loss if the new trees don't thrive.

After much thought, checking and re-checking my aerial map, measuring several times, and consulting with my husband, we have decided to change our plans a little. Instead of using the east field as an orchard, we are going to use the northern end of the front fields. This will also add an additional sound and vision barrier, while providing the trees the furthest positioning from any black walnuts, while also giving them a south-facing location with wind block to the north. I don't think it will take away enough from the northern fields to make a dent in our potential garden space there anyway, and it means even more possible space for apple trees to be added in! The east field will now be used for black walnut - tolerant vegetables, such as corn and squash and beans. It will still end up used to grow food, just not in the way I had originally planned. I think this will actually work out better anyway.

Back at the feed store in the garden section, #5 and I stopped to look at some of the yard decor. He liked the zombie gnome, but it was expensive ($40). We ended up bringing home two little sleeping dragons, and a solar-powered fairy house. I am so excited to start gardening.

I'm almost done with #3's purse. I just need to add the strap, but I can't measure for it because she's off spending the night somewhere tonight. Perhaps I will be able to get that measured out tomorrow and completed Monday.

I'm making plans already for #2's bag. He wants one he can use as a school bag. He's got some pretty elaborate ideas too. He wants a tote kind of like the one I made for #5, but he wants a cross-body strap, a flap closure, and an additional interior pocket for his gaming dice. He needs it to be able to hold all his school stuff, which means adding in additional support somehow. I've got my work cut out for me!

Sage is doing well. She is still mostly in eat or sleep mode, but she has played a few times, and her little claws are sharp! She chews on my lips or my nose when I try to snuggle with her. She's adorable, but still so tiny. It's hard to know how to play with her. I wish she had someone her size to curl up with or play with. She's too small for toys yet, but soon, I'm sure, she will be running around chasing the jingle balls and the mitten toy. I am excited to watch her grow.

I haven't had much down time lately to do any more tomato or pepper research. Every time I attempt to sit down, #5 needs something. And of course he doesn't go to sleep on his own, which means by the time he actually goes to sleep, I'm exhausted and ready for bed too. It's a struggle to have time to write up a blog some days, but here I am, trying to keep my thoughts and projects updated and shared promptly.

Some random ideas floating around in my head currently...

We just bought a length of PVC piping to fit inside an old pair of #1's boots. They will become planters this summer if I can figure out a way to cut the pipe to the proper size. I'm not sure what to plant in them yet... flower, herb, or vegetable?

Pistachio shells - potential craft project, or compost fodder?

Winter sowing experiment I meant to do last year... Big clear tote, drainage holes in bottom, holes in top to let rain and snow in. Fill plastic cups with soil, plant seeds, and line them up in the tote, then use the tote as the greenhouse. This would give individual plants more space, both with roots and with height. Possibly a great idea for peppers and/or tomatoes. Or maybe apple tree seedlings?

Sunflower Bread

I made another loaf of bread today. I mostly followed the instructions for white bread, but instead of 2 Tablespoons of dried milk, I added 2 Tablespoons of almond milk. Instead of 3 Tablespoons of sugar, I added 3 Tablespoons of honey. Then #5 and I added honey-roasted sunflower seeds, since we had several individual packets laying around. We ended up adding 4.8 ounces (according to package sizes) into the mix.

It came out really nice. It smells like sunflower seeds, and it tastes good too. I can't taste any honey at all, but the sunflower definitely came through!

Little Sage is 15 days old today. Her ears are open and she can hear. She perks up when she hears us talking near her, and actively crawls toward me when I call to her.

Sage, 15 days old

It looks like Underhill (the last doe rabbit for sale) will be heading to her new home tomorrow morning. She will be a breeder for an other homestead. That will just leave Ulric and Fella still looking for homes (both bucks).

Today while picking up a snow-blower (yes, I gave in - we now own a snow blower), the gal at the home improvement store said the potatoes and asparagus tubers would be in stock in two more weeks! Yay! Tony is already planning to build me more potato towers, since they out-produced the tire tower and the grow bag the year we tested them all. This year I wanted to try two or three different varieties, but found out that the All Blue potatoes we grew last time are no longer available. They replaced them with "Magic Molly" instead. I will probably end up picking them up to try just because they're available locally without postage fees. I have also found two varieties in seed catalogs that I want to try. Purple Viking is a potato with purple skin with pink splotches, but white flesh inside. Pinto Gold has a pink skin with yellow splashes. The flavor is said to be "buttery" which would be great for someone like me who desperately misses putting butter, cheese, and sour cream on her baked potatoes (lactose intolerance is no fun). I'm a little taken aback by the cost on them online though. I may skip the Pinto Gold and just go with the Purple Viking and Magic Molly this year. I should (hopefully) get enough to save some back for seed next year.

I spoke to my trusted adviser, whom I frequently bounce ideas around with (she gives the best advice), and she suggested trying to cut sugar out of my diet as well. Sugar can be replaced in recipes by honey, maple syrup (the real stuff, not the high fructose corn syrup crap), or stevia. As it turns out, I happen to have a few stevia seeds. Perhaps I will have to attempt to grow them out. She said you can just dry the leaves out and then grind them up like I do with some of my other herbs, then use it as sugar substitute. For now I will be trying to cut back, but not entirely eliminating sweets. I already try to eat healthy, but I put sugar in my coffee and yes, I make Kool Aid on a daily basis. Seriously, I have five kids and without it they suck through a gallon of apple juice every day - check the price difference between two cups of sugar and two Kool Aid packets versus a gallon of apple juice. Yes, water is healthier, but flavors make it so much easier to drink.

Today the mail brought some concord grape seeds. From what I've read online they have dismal germination rates that can take months, and it can be three or more years before you actually get a harvest - which may not even be a good product because you're dealing with seed-grown versus cutting or grafting. But hey, let's give it a try anyway!

I have 23 containers drying in the bathtub now. I sanitized them yesterday and will drill drainage holes tomorrow. I have so many more seeds I want to get into containers. I always feel like I'm running out of time, but really, as long as the ones that need stratification (cold time) are planted out early, the sensitive plants can wait until April. Still, I'd like to get some more jugs out soon. If nothing else, it clears up the space they're taking up in the kitchen.

I finished the purse for #1 today, and started a purse for #3. Hers will be blue, small, with a flap top with no closure, and a cross-body strap. Simple, but able to hold her phone.

Today we also looked at fencing. I'm going to need a way to keep Josh (the goose) out of the garden. Last fall he chewed off pretty much all of my okra and pepper plants about 2-4 inches up the stem, for no apparent reason. He didn't eat them, just chewed on them until they broke, then, like a lumberjack, just moved on to the next. The problem is that a fence will keep Josh out, but it won't deter Phil, Henrietta, or Big Red (the chickens). So do I get rid of the chickens? Give up on gardening? I don't know. I'm really hoping the chickens will leave the garden alone. Perhaps they will prefer treats from the compost heap when it's warm enough for them to be wandering the yard again. Anyway, fence panels run $15-$30 each, plus the posts and hardware to connect them all. A roll of fencing is $30 for 50 feet, again, plus the cost of posts and such. Tony seems to think it's going to be easier to get the roll and some cheaper posts and then we can move it or add to it as the garden grows over the years.

Sage is two weeks old today. She is playing, but still tips over frequently. She's strong and curious. She's adorable. Floki is taking good care of her so far. We have had a couple incidents where we've caught one of the other cats either trying to steal her from her mom, or playing more like a cat would play with a mouse. As she gets bigger and stronger, I think she will be fine. For right now she tends to stay at the carpeted bottom of the cat tree. It's near the heat vent, and probably keeps her feet a fair bit warmer than the linoleum flooring.

​Here's the video I took today. My apologies for #5 in the background. I try to do my videos in the morning or late evening when he's asleep, but today Sage was playing and I wanted to get a video...

After Monday's snow storm, we still hadn't been able to dig out. I've been under the weather for several days and Tony ended up catching a ride to Brainerd with my mom on Tuesday and then spending the night there to get to work today. The vehicle remained snowed in here. The kids had to trudge through deep snow down the long driveway to get to the bus again this morning.

I finally gave up and emailed the people we bought the house from to ask who had been plowing. They sent a husband over today to plow us out. I am incredibly grateful for this kindness. Tony got a ride home after work and happened to get home as this guy was finishing plowing. He refused any payment. So thank you Derek, for clearing the driveway, and making a couple big snow hills. The kids are excited at the prospect of playing on those in the coming days! I am happy to have my husband home again, now that he can get the car out of the driveway to get to work!

It's been snowing all day, with high winds. Several times the snow was going past the window completely horizontally. There are drifts up to three feet deep, though we probably only got 8-10 inches total. You can no longer see the 5-gallon buckets that are beside the garage. Several of our windows are now caked in snow due to the winds pressing snow into the screens. We made no effort to shovel the driveway today due to the winds. School was called off this morning, and by this evening they'd already announced a two hour delay for tomorrow as well.

This is not, by any stretch of the imagination, the worst winter weather I've seen here in Minnesota. Not by a long shot. We can still open our doors, the electricity is still on, and we have heat. It is the worst we've gotten so far in the new house, but it's all good. That two hour delay tomorrow means kids can bundle up and help shovel the driveway. Tony is supposed to go back to work tomorrow, but I'm not entirely sure how that's going to work. We have a long driveway, and just snow shovels and man-power (or woman and child power on days Tony works). Anyone have a snowblower they'd be willing to sell for cheap in the Brainerd/Staples area? I just can't afford the $500 they go for new, and we did not budget in hiring someone to come plow (we can save money and shovel it ourselves - right?).

Using Google maps and the scale for distance, it looks like the driveway is roughly 850 feet long (.16 mile)

I've been hitting the penny auctions on eBay. My weird way of coping with stress. Today I won some blue seed beads, some unicorn charms, more moss rose seeds, a necklace (for #1), a bracelet (for #1), and a pair of earrings (future bribe for chores when I need a little extra help around the house).

I am still working on researching tomato and pepper varieties. I don't think I'm going to be able to get through them all before it's too late to start seeds, so I'm going to end up winging it... There are a few varieties I definitely want to plant though. Cow's Tit and Dino Eggs tomatoes, and Albanian Red Hot, Bell of Lebanon, and Black Pearl peppers to name a few. Some of these I have very limited seed (think 5 or fewer seeds in the collection), so it's of utmost importance that I grow them out.

​Sage seems to be doing well today. Her eyes are open, she's been chewing on her feet (playing?) and Floki has resumed nursing as I have found her in the box with the kitten a couple of times, without me having to place her in the box.

​Here's a quick video I recorded this morning.

I'm continuing to work on #1's purse. I didn't snap a photo of it today, but I got the bag portion done and I'm working on the flap now. Then it'll just be a matter of adding the loop and button closure and the cross body strap. It's looking pretty good. She chose the same variegated yarn I used for my prototype coaster (which I still love and used every day). I will try to get an updated photo tomorrow of my progress (or maybe even a finished product).

I made banana bread in the bread machine last night. This morning I took it out, sliced some of it up, packaged a couple slices for some of #1's friends (she wanted to take some to school to share) and asked the other kids if they wanted any. Only one kid got to taste it before our *very* naughty dog jumped up and stole the entire loaf right off the stove top! Lesson learned! Next time, it needs to be pushed all the way back, or put away as soon as it's sliced! Too bad I used the last of the bananas, and we're snowed in now. I guess maybe tomorrow I will make another loaf. Perhaps with peanut butter or something else I can find around the house.

We are expecting more snow tomorrow. The weather forecast says that we should anticipate 4-7 inches (with localized totals up to 11 inches), with the possibility of ice between 6am Monday and 6am Tuesday. Well that should be fun! The kids' schools have already called to announce a 2-hour late start, but all the schools around us are already closing ahead of the storm. I wonder if we will get another call in the morning calling school off completely.

The three bottles I put in the kitchen window nearly a month ago (with herb seeds) never came up. The window side of each is growing green inside, but no herbs came up. I'm disappointed, but not altogether surprised.

Tony has challenged me to a Rosemary contest. This will be year five of me trying to grow it from seed, failing, buying it from the nursery, limping it through the summer, and never getting a harvest. He thinks he can do better. So I welcomed him to it. If I win, we're still in the same position. If he wins, we get fresh Rosemary. Not a bad deal either way.

I did get the last of the winter sown containers moved. The last batch I had set outside the side door, and then we had a good thaw so they were sitting in water, then a freeze, so they were pretty much glued to the ground. I was able to chisel them up and move them to the South side of the house with the other containers. I figure it's a better location and offers more sunlight.

Rosemary, 11 days old

When I woke up this morning, I found little Rosemary, huddled up, all alone under the kitty tree. Floki had moved Sage and was nursing her somewhere else. Rosemary was already cold, which is pretty much a given that death isn't far behind. With the help of #3, we got Rosemary warmed back up, but it was clear that wasn't enough. We got her to nurse twice, but she was weak and her nursing sessions were only a few minutes long. This afternoon when it became apparent that Rosemary was failing and didn't have much longer, we decided to let her be with Floki and Sage (and Mabel) in the end. When we came back to check on her, she had passed away, tucked in with her family. Our hearts are broken. Rosemary will be buried with Basil in the spring. We're not sure where, but I'm sure #3 will come up with some gorgeous flowers or something perennial to plant over them so we can always remember them.

I know I've got a pink blueberry bush and a white blackberry plant that will be coming in April or May. Perhaps one of those would be a good option as a memorial plant. Otherwise, we're planning to get some apple trees too. That would be a lovely way to memorialize them in a way that isn't likely to be disturbed. Otherwise, flowers could work too. Something perennial. Maybe some daylilies or irises.

Since Rosemary's passing, Floki seems to have largely abandoned Sage now. I keep finding Floki curled up with the other adult cats, with Sage all alone on the floor. If this behavior continues, and we have to pin her down to get her to feed Sage, then Tuesday I will have Tony pick up supplies while he's in town and I will just have to commit to raising Sage by hand. I hope she can hold out that long.

​This evening I started my next purse project. This one for #1. She wants a purse in the blue/grey variegated yarn that is a little wider and deeper than my own purse, with a cross body strap anchored all the way down the sides to the bottom for full support, and a flap with button and loop closure like #4's that I finished yesterday. As I'm started to crochet it up, the design it's making is actually quite pretty. I am looking forward to seeing how this one turns out!

I finished #4's purse this afternoon! It's pink, purple, and blue variegated with a cross-body strap and a button and loop closure. She's excited to start using it right away!

#4's purse - all done!

I've noticed lately a large growth deficit between the remaining kittens. Rosemary is starting to fail while Sage remains robust. I'm not sure what the problem is, but even Floki seems to notice and several times has pushed Rosemary away, or had taken Sage to another spot and laid down to nurse her without Rosemary. We continue to try to make sure that Rosemary gets nursing time, and Floki does allow her to nurse. Rosemary still actively seeks out a teat and seems to nurse well. I'm not sure what the problem is, but I can only assume Floki has a better idea that something is severely wrong that we can't understand.

Basil's struggle is over. The little fella passed away surrounded by his sisters, his mom, and his grandma this afternoon. I went to check on him as he took his last breath. Rest peacefully little Basil. He survived six days.

In handling him afterwards I gave a more thorough inspection, now that I wasn't worried about making him uncomfortable. I found our cause of death, and it's both heartrendingly sad, and mindbogglingly odd.

Our dear Basil had deformed legs and a nub tail, that much we already knew. But upon closer inspection after he passed, it became apparent that those were not his only malformations. Basil had a mouth, a tongue, a full palate, but at the back, his tongue was attached to the back of his throat, completely closing it off. This kitten couldn't have eaten anything because his mouth was not attached to his throat. He had been breathing through his nose. Our poor Basil never stood a chance. Bottle feeding would have been no help as his mouth was separate from the rest of his body. Surgery was never an option on such a tiny being. I once asked about euthanizing extremely small or young animals who were damaged beyond repair (remember I used to do rescue) and was told by a vet that they could not and would not euthanize because their smallest needle was far too large. We really had no options with Basil, and despite it all, he was a trooper right up to the end. This morning he was still cuddling up with his sisters, still attempting to nurse.

Tonight my heart is broken for Basil, but I take comfort in knowing that we loved him mightily, and we did absolutely everything we could - there's nothing else we could have done, and nothing would have saved him regardless.

This photo was taken just after 6am this morning. All three kittens were moving around, despite Basil being noticeably smaller and lethargic, he was still active.

The two remaining kittens seem well. They are vigorous, active, and vocal. Both are starting to open their eyes, and actively seek out Floki when she is in the box.

I continue to work on #5's bag. I made the straps today but have not finished attaching them to the bag yet. I'm really hoping to have them done tomorrow. It looks pretty nice.

This morning I went to check on kittens and found just Rosemary and Sage in the box. I admit, my first thought was that Floki had eaten Basil... She did kill kittens in her last litter. Then I heard the weak mew coming from under the fish tank stand a couple feet from the box. There was tiny Basil, chilled and weak, but alive. I don't know which cat pulled him out of the nest box, everyone here has their suspicions... It could be Mabel, grandma to this litter, who has attempted to steal Floki's kittens in the past and has started trying to lay in the box with Floki and the babies. It could be NetherQuartz, who takes any opportunity he can to attempt to treat a wandering kitten like a toy (which is why we moved them to a box they couldn't escape from). Or maybe Floki knows there's something wrong and is moving him out of the box? Or moving him to one of the sideways boxes on the fish tank stand and he fell out? I don't know.

I also don't know how long he'd been out on his own. One of his little toes is swollen, he's got little marks all over him now, and I strongly suspect one of the ladies moved him out of the box and then NetherQuartz tried to "play" with him.

Basil, a little ruffed up, but warming and soon to return to his sisters.

I warmed him back up with my hands before returning him to his sisters, who welcomed him immediately by piling all over him and then sleeping in a heap together.

I again held him to assure that he got some nursing time without his big sisters knocking him down. He always seems to do so well, latching on, good suction, but never any swallowing motions. Below was the photo I took after I snuck my hand away from supporting him and blocking his sisters. They all seemed to be asleep but still attached to momma. The size difference is becoming painfully obvious. Basil is minuscule compared to plump Sage.

Floki (mom) with Sage (fat pink on top), Rosemary (calico in middle), and Basil (skinny one on the bottom). Five days old now.

I went off to do some housework and returned a bit later to find Basil nursing of his own accord. No assistance and he'd found and held a teat against his sisters! Mind it was one of the front ones with less milk, but all the same, my hopes rose. I really hope this little one pulls through... though every ounce of logic and past experience tells me he doesn't stand a chance.

Precious, tiny Basil. I'd like to think he's a calm kitten, but the truth is he's probably just too weak to make much of a fuss.

I did take another brief video today. I suspect it may be the last with three kittens in it. Basil can't hold out forever, and he's so thin now that I have to wonder how he's even here with us still tonight as I type this up before bed. Tony insists he's "looking stronger" and seems "more active" tonight, but I don't see it. I would absolutely love to see Basil grow up and be a spunky, playful, loving soul. I want so badly to see how he does with his bad leg and his nub tail. I want to see if his coat develops colors later or if he will stay white. I want to see him open his eyes, to play with toys, to pounce and play with his sisters.

Tonight I weighed each of the kittens. Sage is 4 ounces, Rosemary is 3 ounces, and Basil is 2 ounces. Why is there such a drastic difference between 2 and 3 ounces, but not between 3 and 4 ounces? Either way, here's the video from today - complete with a cameo from Mabel (their Rex grandma). She saw the box was empty and came to see what I was doing with them.

After completing most of the house chores, I sat down to work more on #5's bag. I got to the point where I could go no farther without the next color, so I texted Tony to let him know what I needed.

When he got home late tonight after working a close shift, I quick did the last four rounds with the new colors. The bag itself is complete. Now I just need to make and attach the straps (they will also be matching Ninja Turtle colors). What a cool creation - and even cooler that I made it up myself. No pattern, no Pintrest photo... just an idea in my head! I hope the straps work the way I think they should.

This bag now measures 17 inches wide by 17 inches deep. It took almost an entire skein of yarn to produce over three days (so far). Tomorrow I plan to do the straps and get a finished photo. Then onward to #4's bag (which I already started while waiting for Tony to bring home the new yarn). Hers will be a cross-body purse with flap and button/loop closure made from variegated pink/purple/blue yarn.

Rosemary has one eye peeking open, and Sage is working on both eyes peeking. Little Basil is still with us as of bedtime tonight. His eyes remain closed for now. This is really early to have eyes starting to open, so I'm not sure what to think of it.

Four Days Old - Eyes are starting to open!

Sage has a dark mark over her nose and under her chin. I suspect this isn't coloring, but instead damage from falling off the cat tree before I was able to convince Floki to keep the babies in a box on the floor.

Today is Floki's third birthday. Happy birthday Floki! She was the runt of the Viking litter, and the sole survivor after her sister (Lagertha) died at 11 weeks old due to a bad reaction to a vaccination. Both of her brothers (Rollo and Ragnar) died as babies (Rollo had birth complications and Henry smothered Ragnar because I felt bad for them and put a blanket in the box).

​I am continuing to make progress with the bag for #5 that I am crocheting with his green yarn. He has asked to have the top rim done in a variegated yarn he found in my closet. He also wants two handles, so it will be more like a toy tote and less like a bag. I guess that means I won't have to create a flap like I put on my purse. That could save me some time!

Green Bag - Day 2

The green bag is currently 8-1/4" deep by 17 inches wide. When I'm done I'm hoping to make it at least 12-16 inches tall. It has to fit all of his Ninja Turtles toys, including both of his TMNT vehicles and all of his actual turtles and their accessories. When I'm done with this project, I think I will try making a purse for #3 or #4 next. If nothing else, it's giving me a sense of purpose in an otherwise stressful time frame.

Today I finished the purse project I started yesterday. Yes, that's right.. An entire project in two days! Wow!

I used a yarn I had in the closet with a variegated pattern of bright colors. I didn't use a pattern or anything, I just made it up as I went along. It turned out quite nicely. I even made an attached strap.

Why did I create a colorful purse? While going through old laundry that hadn't been unpacked yet, I came across my skirts. I love my skirts. They're bright colors, elastic wastes, thin fabric, flowy and comfortable. The one problem? No pockets. I carry my phone, cash, and medication in my pockets all the time. I needed a way to carry small incidentals with me while wearing the skirts. These colors at least somewhat match most of my skirts. I imagine this purse will be getting a lot of use this summer!

Purse from the front

Above you can see the front of the purse. There's a flap half the length of the purse that comes over the top to prevent spilling my goodies when I sit down. Weirdly enough the color schematic also makes it look weirdly like a rainbow.

Below you can see it from the back with the pretty vivid pink and lack of green. The strap is long enough to go over one shoulder so the purse sits at my opposite hip (cross body style).

Purse from the back

As soon as I completed it, all the kids asked me to make bags and purses for them too. Seems like I'll be busy for a while! I just wish they'd do all the s\chores so I could spend all day crocheting new projects. Alas, the dishes and laundry would pile up if I only did crafts and fun things all day.

I did start on #5's bag. He wants one big enough to carry around several of his toys, so his is a lot bigger than mine. I only have the very bottom portion done so far, but it's clear we will need to go buy more yarn for his project!

#5's bag project in the works

Rosemary and Sage, the two hairless kittens are growing and active. They are thriving. Unfortunately, the same can not be said for little Basil, the Rex-coated male. He's fading away before our eyes, and there doesn't seem to be anything we can do to help him out.

At least twice a day (usually several more), I take the time to sit with Floki and her kittens and make sure that little Basil is getting attached to a teat and nursing. Even if this means literally holding him so he doesn't tip over and let go, or keeping the girls away as they tend to climb all over and try to steal his nursing spot. Yesterday I was suspicious of his nursing. While Rosemary beside him was nursing with the familiar "tick tick tick" ear movements that anyone who's bottle fed a kitten will immediately recall... Basil made sucking motions with his mouth, tongue in the proper position, firmly attached to the teat, but his throat wasn't moving, his ears never moved. I don't think he's actually swallowing anything. Nothing comes out his nose, and I looked in his mouth. There doesn't seem to be any cleft palate issues going on. I know he's got a bad leg and a short tail, but I have to wonder if something else isn't right with him internally. While his sisters are putting on a layer of fat and starting to look more healthy and rounded, Basil remains thin, to the point of concern.

Unfortunately, our vet has told us before that there's really nothing that can be done for such tiny kittens. Medicine and interventions tend to fail, they're too small for successful surgery, and often times they succumb to the stress of attempting any kind of treatment anyway. This means that we are largely responsible for offering home care as best we can until they are at least six weeks old. I don't think Basil is much longer for this world. It would surprise me very much if he was still with us by Monday morning. He has already started to separate himself from his sisters. I find him in the corner of the box. He lays down and doesn't move around much. His cry is weak and small. But today as I held him in my hands and gently petted his tiny head, he purred. I do believe this is a record. I have never had a kitten this young ever find their purr. It was a beautiful, special moment.

I took a two minute video of the three together in the box while Floki was off at the food dish. You can see how much Basil struggles to get back upright when he is tipped over. He is so weak, and it breaks my heart, but I don't know what else to do for him. I have moved the kittens to a box near the heat register to assure that even if Basil wanders from his sisters, he will stay at least somewhat warm.

Floki continues to diligently care for all three, only leaving them long enough to get a drink, or eat food, or use the litter box.

Miss Floki continues to diligently care for the three tiny ones. I'm still concerned for the fuzzy nub-tailed kitten. I've decided to name them all, so if we lose that one, he'll at least have a name. I'm not great at gender checking at this size, but if I had to guess I'd say the Rex coated is the only male in the group.

Rex coated male with the nub tail has been named Basil. The white hairless kitten (which may or may not develop orange coloring later) is Sage. The blue and white kitten (which may actually be a dilute calico) is Rosemary. Yes, this is the Herb Litter! Welcome to the family Rosemary, Sage, and Basil!

Floki with her one day old babies.

I got my blood drawn today. I'm usually fine with it (despite a distinct needle phobia), but for whatever reason today it hurt. I feel like such a baby complaining about a little needle stick, but when I got home and unwrapped it, it's actually a little swollen - and that's unusual. I guess I'll keep an eye on it.

​I am continuing to buy seeds from Listia. In the last few days I've snagged Sicilian Honey Garlic, Zinnia, Nasturtium, Concord Grape, Calendula, and Tequila Sunrise pepper seeds, and a live spider plant (baby).

We are under another winter weather advisory until tomorrow at 6am. The advisory says 4-6 inches, but the weather channel forecast says 3-5 inches. Either way, it's already started to snow, fine tiny white flakes. Not the big fluffy flakes, but the tiny ones that make you squint to see if you're seeing fog or imagining miniature snow... Yes, it's snow.

We are supposed to be getting another 4-6 inches Saturday into Sunday, followed by several days just above freezing.

​After some discussion, #1 has asked to go back to online schooling next year. While she appreciates having friends and social time, she also enjoys sleeping in and being able to work on her own schedule. I'm game if she is.

We have kittens! Just before dinner, Floki delivered the first kitten of the litter. There are three so far as of writing this. The first kitten is white and blue, but may be a calico (the orange isn't immediately visible). It appears to be hairless. The second and third kittens are both white, but one has a normal tail and the other has a bobbed tail. The bobbed tail kitten was the second and it isn't doing as well. It's slow, doesn't move much, and rarely cries.

I wish I had more to announce, but I'm trying to stay out of Floki's way right now so she doesn't get stressed out. Her last litter she killed when I unknowingly stressed her out by putting Mabel (her mom) in a cage for the night to prevent her from stealing the kittens. Yikes! I'm hoping for a better turn out this time, since Mabel will be allowed to assist as Floki allows.

I'm going to leave this as a draft until just before I go to bed so I can hopefully get a photo before bed and see if we will have more than three babies.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

​Bedtime update - we have three kittens and momma Floki seems to have settled in and is nursing them. The second kitten (with the bob tail) has more fur than the other two - likely the rex gene in play. That kitten does seem to have a weird back leg - the toes aren't laying right. I'm not sure what to make of it just now, but perhaps I can get a better peek tomorrow.

The Silver Rose garlic is finally coming up. It's growing much slower than the garlic I planted in a cup last year (whatever happened to that cup anyway... I think it got lost in all the shuffling between house and hotel and then moving).

The window herb garden project has been slightly delayed. I got the gravel into the bottom of three bottles, and then filled them with soil. I just haven't quite gotten to adding the seeds and putting plastic over them until said seeds come up. Here's what it's looking like right now in the kitchen window... Soon enough we will have basil, rosemary, and thyme in these bottles. I have two more waiting for gravel and soil, but I kind of want to wait and see how these three do before getting too many going.

Sprouting onion and three bottles awaiting seeds in the kitchen window. The bottles will be seeded with thyme, rosemary, and basil.

Zombie was looking a lot better this morning, but by this afternoon she'd chewed her tail raw again. I'm afraid she's going to have to go to the vet this time. Miss Floki is getting round, but not extremely round. I'm hoping she gives us more than one or two kittens, and that they survive. Fingers crossed.